HARRISBURG, Pa. — Facing his fourth criminal indictment, former President Donald Trump has long been known as “Teflon Don” for his ability to glide past scandals. A new poll, however, shows Pennsylvania voters are reacting negatively to the series of criminal charges.
The poll conducted by Franklin & Marshall College found Trump maintains a solid 18-point lead among Pennsylvania Republican voters. The indictments that began in April 2023 have largely not eroded support among this group.
However, the steady stream of news reports of criminal charges has made voters like Trump less. His favorability ratings dropped among both Republicans and the general electorate from Sept. 2020 through Aug. 2023, according to past F&M College polls.
“His position is solid among Republicans but has slipped a little bit when we talked about favorability ratings. It certainly has slid among the general electorate,” said Berwood Yost, Director of F&M’s Center for Opinion Research, which conducts the polls.
Berwood said the downward favorability trend suggested the indictments could make Trump more likely to win the Republican primary and, conversely, less likely to win the general election. However, he added, there was one caveat: relatively low favorability ratings for President Joe Biden.
“Whenever we talk about political calculations, it is how people view a particular candidate, but it’s also how people view a particular candidate in relation to their opponent,” Yost said.
In a head-to-head matchup, the F&M poll showed Biden leading Trump by just 2 percentage points.
Up until now, the polls have just been measuring response to the indictments. Each of Trump’s four trials could lead to more fallout for the former president, who will also need to take time and resources away from his campaign to appear in court.